Teen charged in slaying of twin

As many as five people burst into the apartment during the home invasion.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Derris Lewis told the church he forgave the masked men who stormed into the apartment, pressed a gun against his mother’s head and fatally shot his twin brother.

“I’m hurt, but there’s no anger,” Lewis said last month at the funeral for 17-year-old Dennis Lewis. “Life is too short.”

Now police say Derris Lewis was among the men and may have been the one who pulled the trigger during the robbery last month. Lewis, now 18, is charged in juvenile court with delinquency counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of kidnapping.

Derris Lewis met with police Wednesday morning for an interview and was arrested before leaving headquarters based on evidence, police said.

“He did not say much of anything during the interview. He was not cooperating,” police spokeswoman Amanda Ford said.

Ford would not say if investigators believe Derris Lewis was the shooter or how many people were involved.

The initial police report said at least three and as many as five people burst into the apartment that Dennis Lewis shared with his mother, April, at about 1:40 a.m. on Jan. 18. April Lewis told police the men demanded money and ransacked the home, according to a police report.

Dennis Lewis died less than an hour later at the Ohio State University Medical Center.

Ford declined to speculate on a motive. She said the men wore masks and April Lewis did not recognize them. She also declined to describe the evidence that prompted the arrest, citing an ongoing investigation and other potential suspects.

Libby Hall, a Franklin County public defender who appeared in court on Thursday to represent Derris Lewis, declined to comment, citing office policy.

A phone number listed for April Lewis was not in service.

A message left with Lewis’ father and stepmother, who live in Jackson, Miss., was not returned.

Lewis’ stepmother, Nena Spencer, told The Columbus Dispatch the accusations are tough to believe.

“Never in a million years could Derris have had anything to do with this,” she said by phone.

Dennis Lewis was a National Honor Society student who was a member of Arcadia High School’s marching band and sports teams.

He was part of the school’s production of “The Wiz” and was a good student — like his brother — teachers said.

Martha Hal, the school’s band director, talked with Derris Lewis on Tuesday and said she doesn’t believe the accusations.

“Until I talk to Derris and he tells me it’s true or not — and I don’t believe it is — then I won’t believe it,” Hal told The Dispatch.

“I’m amazed. I just cannot believe this. My heart cannot take much more of this at all.”